It’s incredible how a difference in one event can have a profound effect on further events. Hermione’s absence from Harry and Ron’s company was not doing very well for their academic performance. Nobody else joined them – everyone had already broken up to their companies, except for Neville. But he was already fine because he regularly hung out in greenhouses with Madame Sprout and was engaged in plants. And many treated the boy well, although there was no direct friendship. Hmm. Neville’s best friends are plants. I wonder what happens if I give him a cannabis sapling?

Hermione and I systematically skipped Quidditch matches, receiving McGonagall’s reprimands, but we knew how to bribe her. We just demonstrated our achievements in the field of transfiguration. We said that this was all thanks to hard work and training, but if we go to matches, when will we learn? McGonagall was moved by our desire for knowledge, and sometimes it seemed to me that a little more, and she would say something about me, but no. She didn’t say anything. But she definitely recognized my absurd resemblance to Narcissa. And the rest of the professors are unlikely to suffer from blindness, but nothing good or bad happens to me. Like Draco, by the way, he does not show any negativity towards me, as well as positive – I do not exist for him. He is completely immersed in a conflict with the Hero and the sixth Weasley. ​​

In early December, I received a package from my relatives. We usually only correspond. I wrote about my successes. The Knights wrote about events in the outside world and even sent me regular newspapers. This time a package of tasks came from an ordinary school.

“What is it?” Hermione asked at breakfast when she saw a bulky task bag dropped to me by an owl. I was even afraid that he would knock me to death. Death would be absurd.

“Oh, this, Hermione, assignments from school.”

“From school?” The astonishment on her face defied verbal description.

“But why? That is, an ordinary school?”

“Well, yes,” I shrugged, putting the package in my backpack with an invisible extension. I use it instead of a school bag – convenient. It’s not hard to carry things, and the capacity is large.

“But… but… Why?”

“Well, what you mean, why?!” I was feigned surprise. “What if I can’t work out with magic? After Hogwarts, I will calmly go to college or even university and build a normal life in the Muggle world. If it doesn’t work out here.”

“This is genius! And how did I not think about it myself?” Hermione quickly got up from the table and, throwing the strap of her bag over her shoulder, was about to leave the large hall.

“I urgently need to write a letter to my parents.”

Hermione left and Harry, sitting next to me, looked at me in surprise.

“What? There should always be a backup plan.”

“Nothing,” Potter hesitated. “I just didn’t even think that someone might want to return to the ordinary world because there is magic right here.”

“Who said that I want?”

Potter and a few of the listening kids looked up in confusion.

“There is such a word – it is necessary. So that’s it. As I said, in case of my total failure as a magician, I prepare myself “escape routes.” I don’t seem to be a fool, so I think I can handle such a load.”

“Why are you all so obsessed with this studying?!” Ron was indignant. “Not to even go to Quidditch or play gob-stones. Or chess, at worst!”

“I don’t have time for this. Life is too short to waste time.”

“But where is the hurry?” Ron was surprised.

“You are pure-blood. You’ll not understand.”

“Hey! Our family treats Muggle-borns quite well!” Ron snapped. Now everyone at our table has listened to the conversation.

“I don’t argue. It’s just that pure-bloods are at the helm of the wizarding world. Even despite the fact how your family is called in their circles, you have more prospects than Muggle-borns, even if you will do nothing during the whole time of learning.”

“You’re wrong, Max,” one of the guys from the senior year spoke up. “Both the legislation now encourages Muggle-borns and the ministry.”

“Console yourself with illusions, gentlemen. As if some pure-blood in the tenth or twentieth generation will give way to you under the sun. Oh well. You can find out all the information on these issues, and I will go to study.”

With these words, I went to class. I still need to solve school assignments and send them back.

For Christmas, Hermione and I decided to stay. More precisely, I already knew that I would stay. Still, Hermione decided that it is possible to rest in the summer, which is perhaps not worth it. I insisted that Hermione write a large congratulatory letter to her parents and send gifts in the form of magic sweets. Sugarless. I did the same myself, and the Weasley twins were the sweets supplier for a really modest Sickle fee. I sent the school assignments with the school owl, and Hermione sent hers. According to her, her parents managed in record time to organize her external training and send tasks, and the stubborn girl solved them all in two days. Also, she finally got involved in physical exercise. Especially for this, I transfigured various sports equipment. Her parents also sent her a bunch of books on gymnastics and athletics.

The only thing that disappointed me a little at Hogwarts was the inability to train with hemomancy and my spiritual weapons. I don’t really believe there is even one place in this castle that can be hidden from the all-seeing eye of Dumbledore. Therefore, it is better not to shine such skills, just in case. Christmas itself passed unusually quietly in the empty castle. Hermione gave me a voluminous reference book on medical potions. And I remembered that I was interested in this topic. But I remember how Hermione watched as I performed the transfigured shinai kendo kata. So I asked my parents to get one book – Hagakure. I have this book, but somehow I don’t want to shine it in front of the Knights – they won’t understand. Even I don’t understand a lot, and the more I’m trying to understand it – the less I understand. Although a narrow-minded and straightforward person will consider Hagakure an unnecessarily cruel composition of a medieval samurai warrior. I re-read it every year, and every year I see something new in it. And yes, the book is not related to kata, but I’m wondering what happens if you give it to Hermione.

The Christmas holidays were held under the motto “Take a break from school, study the gift.” It was quite funny to watch how Hermione sometimes wrote something out of the book, crossed it out, rewrote. It seems that she adjusted the ancient warrior’s wisdom to the local reality, taking into account the magic.

I thought: “Why am I only communicating with Hermione?” After thinking about this question, I came to simple conclusions. I’m just comfortable with her. She is smart enough to understand my periodic statements. She, like me, came here to study. Constant House sloppiness and carelessness do not interest me, as well as her. As a result, neither she nor I have anyone to communicate with. Everything suits me.